Grumpator

Elmer starts Kindergarten

2017-08-26T21:09:00.001-07:00

Registration day, January 2017

Elmer has just completed his first 3 weeks of Kindergarten as a Nevitt Knight! He's settled in nicely to a new routine, has already started making friends, and says that he likes school. Ms. Simmons, his teacher, reports that he is good in class and always follows directions. We're so proud!

Here are some pictures on the morning of his first day.

Elmer says "I always look solemn when I go to school."

Okay, maybe not so solemn.

Ready to go!

A tale of two cabin trips - Part 2

2017-08-26T20:58:00.000-07:00

Aspen Cabin, Earl Park Lake

Our second cabin was our annual trip to Earl Park Lake, near Pinetop. We always rent the same cabin, which the boys have dubbed "Aspen Cabin." We love this place, and spent a whole week in the cool forest, enjoying daily afternoon rain showers, tramping around in the woods, fishing, and playing games. It's always hard to leave, and we look forward to coming back next year!

Father caught a fish!

By the lake

Elmer loves the fast water!

Patient Arthur

Father caught another fish!

Selfie with Mama

First game of Cootie!

Our little explorers

Kings of the hill

Full photo set

A tale of two cabin trips - Part 1

2017-08-26T20:47:00.000-07:00

McEwan Cabin, Greer

In July, we had two delightful cabin trips. The first was to Greer with Grammie and Grampa Perry, and Peter, Dana, Ruth and Esther. We had a lovely time, enjoying the cooler weather, afternoon monsoons, playing games, catching crayfish, and kayaking!

Cousins!

Arthur's new friend

Elmer enjoying a fire

Silly boys!

Gorgeous day for fishing at Greer!

Elmer's catch

Mama in a kayak!

July 2017

2017-07-09T20:54:00.000-07:00

In between summer vacations, I'm reminded that I enjoy keeping this record of what's going on. Also, several family members who don't see us often reminded me that they enjoy reading my blog. So here's another catch up post to help start getting back on track.

This year Elmer turned 5. He has graduated from Kinder Readiness and will be starting kindergarten in...my goodness...4 weeks! He loves to read and and getting so good at reading on his own. Some of his current favorite books are the My Father's Dragon trilogy (the 2nd book of which is called "Elmer and the Dragon" which was a serendipitous find!), The Little House books, and any book about space. This boy loves learning about space! When he graduated pre-school, he said he wanted to be a space scientist when he grows up.

He loves reading books about the solar system and about planets, and much of his imaginary play centers around his own planet of Luminar, where he has his own spaceships, his dragons and panthers live there, and where they can do whatever they want and not have to follow the rules he does at home.

He still loves listening to audio books as well - we listened to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone on the drive up to Utah this summer, and he was very interested. He and Arthur have been talking about the characters and waving their wands and casting spells at each other.

Arthur turned 3 and is very independent and imaginative. He likes to arrange his toys and come up with all sorts of interesting characters and scenarios. I hear him making different voices and having his toys talk to one another. This week, he cracked me up because he was playing eye doctor after they had gone for Elmer's exam. He had arranged some of his toys into his "office" and he insisted on giving me a check up and prescribing eye drops. His seriousness and sound effects were just priceless.

He also loves reading, coloring, and music. He's much more interested in playing and listening to music than Elmer is, and he will stay focused on a craft long after Elmer has lost interest.

He's full of drama though - today on our way to get ready for bath, he said "It's been a hard day for me." He's often "Too tired", especially when there's something he doesn't want to do, such as eat his vegetables. He hates having his picture taken. But he's still our cuddle bug and is usually a sweet little boy.

We've been camping a few times this year already, often with friends or family. We had a great trip up to UT to see my family, and we're so thankful that our boys are such good travelers. Next week we're heading up to stay in a cabin in Greer with the Perrys, and we'll stay at our usual cabin at Earll Park Lake during our last week of freedom before Elmer starts school.

I expect this'll be the start of a new chapter in our lives, with Elmer in school all day. We're also planning to start Arthur in the same preschool Elmer attended (if we get potty trained by September). I'm sure this year will fly by before we know it!

Catching up

2016-09-04T14:43:00.002-07:00

Well, I haven't posted for so long that I've been avoiding posting because I'm so far behind. So - here's a post to catch everyone up so I can just move forward.

Elmer finished his first semester of pre-school in May. He really enjoyed his small class, and now he's in a Kinder Readiness class for this last year before kindergarten. He goes to school on Tuesdays and Thursday for a couple of hours in the morning.

Here's his first school picture:

And now he's got his glasses!

Arthur's getting big, very independent, and he rarely stops talking. He's a busy guy who's good at pushing Elmer to be more adventurous.

We've had a great summer with several camping trips, our usual trip up to Utah to visit family, and a full week up at our cabin. Click on the links for pictures!

We're going camping this next week back to Patagonia Lake, where Chris and I camped back in 2007, long before we had kids. And we'll camp again one more time this year in October before we get too busy.

So now everyone's caught up. Hopefully, now I'll continue to post on a more regular schedule.

Elmer's 4 years old!

2016-02-20T14:58:00.000-07:00

Well, here he is - 4 years old already! For Elmer's birthday, we went to the McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park and met Grammie and Grampa there. We had so much fun riding the train, playing on the playground, and riding the carousel.

Then Grammie and Grampa unveiled the boys' birthday presents - new tricycles! Both of the boys got to try them out at the park where there was lots of room to roam.

After the park, we went home for our normal nap/quiet time, but after dinner, we had a brownie cake to celebrate. It was a really fun birthday!

Here are the usual stats from his annual exam:

Height: 42 inches
Weight: 38 lbs

But the big news was that Elmer needs glasses. We weren't surprised - I always knew that my children would be doomed and it was only a matter of time. Elmer does like to have his books up close, and wants to be close to the television when he's watching Mighty Machines (thanks for the recommendation, Rachel!), so the signs were there. We'll get him into an optometrist pretty soon and after that - glasses! I think he'll be pretty cute.

The other exciting news is that Elmer is officially a preschooler now! He started at a part time preschool the day before his birthday. He goes Mondays and Wednesdays for a couple of hours in the afternoon, and it's so fun to see him make friends and come home with a homework assignment for the weekend.

We're getting used to a new schedule, and I think preschool is just as good for us as it is for him. It's breaking us in gently: remembering to do the homework, getting reports from the teacher, and making valentines for his classmates for their Valentine's Day party! We'll be pros in no time, right?

It's so fun to see Elmer learning so much. He knows all his letters, and corrects us if we say the wrong words when reading familiar books. He loves to read and listen to audiobooks and music. For his quiet time, he's been listening to Lloyd Alexander's The Book of Three lately, but he also loves some Classical Kids episodes: Vivaldi's Ring of Mystery, Beethoven Lives Upstairs, and Hallelujah Handel. He's also getting to be much better at actually helping - he'll bring his plate and cup to the sink after meals, he'll help make his bed and put away his books, and he will help get himself dressed and undressed! I love discovering the things he can do, and it's a good challenge for me to give him more opportunities to be more independent and help.

Of course, this path isn't always smooth and easy - sometimes he needs more encouragement than others, and sometimes our expectations don't match his capabilities. And sometimes he's just a fussy four year old. But sometimes I really can't believe he's so big and grown. He was such a tiny little guy, not all that long ago!

And at 1:

at 2:

and at 3:

And now:

We love him so much!

Arthur, talking

2016-02-16T19:41:00.001-07:00

Arthur’s learning syntax from Yoda:

"Sit lap, want to.”
“Eat it big, want to.”
“Play deetar, want to.”

The boy knows what he wants.

Arthur's 2 years old!

2016-01-14T21:05:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, we celebrated Arthur's birthday! My little boy is already 2 years old!

Since I took the day off, we had all day to relax and play. First, my assistants helped me make a brownie cake:

Then we went to Riverview Park to run and climb and play:

This kid just loves to climb - everything!

And later, after lunch, we had our brownie cake with peppermint frosting:

Arthur loved it when we sang "Happy Birthday" to him, and was able to blow out his candles. The brownie cake was a big hit - it was a lot easier for the boys to manage than regular cake. They even ate the brownie after they licked off the frosting!

Today both boys had their annual check up at the pediatrician, so here are Arthur's latest stats:
Height: 34.8 inches
Weight: 28 lbs 4 oz
So he's not so much bigger than he was at 18 months.

His vocabulary has really grown, though, in the past 4 months. He uses phrases and even some sentences, and is getting really good at communicating what he wants or is thinking. Sometimes he'll say something completely incomprehensible, but his pronunciation is getting a lot better.

Elmer likes to encourage Arthur, often saying things like "Arthur, say loobdaloom" (living room), and Arthur will happily oblige. It's one of their favorite games, and sometimes Arthur will just repeat whatever Elmer says, with both boys dissolving into giggles.

Some of my favorite phrases are:
"Want it big" (when I ask if he wants some food cut for him)
"Elmer first" (usually when it's time to get dressed)
"Go work"
"Hold you" (when he wants me to hold him)
"Carry me"

Arthur loves to do whatever Elmer's doing, but he's also pretty independent. He often will pull out toys or instruments and play and sing to himself. He loves singing "Silent Night", and sang "Happy Birthday" to himself all weekend. He especially likes playing his little guitar, but also enjoys the tamborines we gave them for Christmas.

Fortunately, he likes to read just as much as Elmer does, just not always the same books, which means that story time can get complicated as we negotiate what will be read. Arthur's tantrums far exceed anything Elmer produced at two years old.

But he's still our little cuddlebug - we can rely on lots of snuggles throughout the day if we are sitting on the couch. And most of the time he's a pretty happy little guy. I can't believe how much he's grown this past year!

Christmas 2015

2016-01-03T15:39:00.002-07:00

I admit that I was pretty excited for Christmas this year. Elmer is old enough to remember last year's festivities, and Arthur is old enough to enjoy it and really get into celebrating! They were able to help me (a little) set up the Christmas tree, and loved all the lights and ornaments all month. We sang Christmas songs, played with our 3 nativity sets, and had 3 different advent calendars to manage. Anticipation was pretty high!

This year was also the first time both boys were in the Christmas eve pageant at church. Elmer was a shepherd, and Arthur was a sheep.

But I think their favorite part of the Christmas Eve service was the candlelight Silent Night. Both boys really enjoyed holding their own candle (I helped Arthur with his).

Christmas morning, my family came over for breakfast and presents. Everyone had a good time visiting and opening presents, though the boys were definitely overwhelmed. I think we'll spread out opening some of the gifts we get next year. We gave them a Duplo train set, which has been a lot of fun for Chris and me to play with.

We went over to the Perry's for Christmas dinner and gifts. The boys always love playing with their cousins, and we love all the visiting with family. We were all tired and happy when we went home.

I enjoyed a long weekend home from work, and then a short week last week. We celebrated the New Year with a few friends (Chris was playing a gig with Swing Memories), and had a pretty relaxing New Year's Day. But this weekend we took down the Christmas decorations, so we're ready to head into 2016 and get back to our regular routines.

Happy New Year!

Looking back at 2015

2015-12-30T15:40:00.000-07:00

Today is my last day of work of 2015, so I've been tidying some things up around my office and reviewing my year. I've gotten out of the habit of posting about anything but kids, but I always find my annual retrospectives (2014, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009) useful, so I'll make the effort once again.

2015-at work
All things considered, this has been a good year professionally. Now that the boys are older, it's a little easier for me to travel again to conferences. I attended and presented at the WLA/MPLA Annual Conference in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and the AzLA Annual Conference in Flagstaff - both trips were a lot of fun and I always feel recharged about my work after steeping in it with other librarians for a few days. At WLA/MPLA, I presented with some MPLA colleagues about evaluating open access journals, and at AZLA, I gave a presentation on personal productivity which was standing room only, and a lot of fun to do.

I was also selected to be a presenter for the ACRL workshop: "Scholarly Communication: From Understanding to Engagement," which means that, starting this spring, I will be one of two presenters giving a full day workshop to a few universities who were selected from a pool of applicants to have the workshop brought to their location. This is especially satisfying for me, since I had twice applied and failed to have this workshop brought to ASU several years ago. And now I'm one of the presenters! On a related note, I was highlighted as an ACRL Member of the Week this spring.

I had a pretty successful Open Access Week this year, particularly with a fun faculty panel discussion on open access publishing (one of the professors even blogged about her participation). We did an article drive to add articles to the ASU Scholarship Showcase Collection, which is now up to 654 articles (from barely 200 last January).

One of my favorite things this past year has been the greater involvement I've had with other departments on campus. I worked with our online education department on fair use and copyright issues related to online courses and MOOCs, and have had discussions about working together to increase advocacy for open educational resources. I also worked with our graduate department to clarify university policies on embargoing and archiving theses and dissertations, and have met with lots of different people regarding the ASU Digital Repository, copyright issues, and open access publishing. I've really enjoying having so many interesting conversations with people.

2015-at home
It was a great year, all things considered. I feel that we're starting to get a little more freedom again, now that Arthur's no longer a baby and they're both getting so much more resilient. Our camping trips, road trips, and cabin adventures were all lots of fun, and I look forward to more of these family vacations moving forward.

We added two kittens to our family this summer (I know - what were we thinking?!?), but now that they're all settled in with the other cats, it's not quite so much of an overwhelming amount of cat labor. Simpkin and Tabitha are really good with the boys, who adore them, and are lots of fun to play with. Tabitha and Sophie still get into it in the mornings, but I'm not entirely sure they're not just playing. In any case, that was one major change for us this year.

Looking forward to 2016 and Resolutions

I think we're going to have a lot of rapid change at my work this next year, as we hire some new upper administration. I hope we hire some really great people who are ready to shake this place up. There are plans for an entire remodel of Hayden Library, which may start as early as next January, so things will get pretty shifty around here. I've also got some balls in the air with respect to my own position,which, if they go through, will mean some pretty substantial changes to my responsibilities. I'm ready for change, though, and I have high hopes for a good year coming up.

I'm essentially rehashing my resolutions from last year, though. Trello is working pretty well for me for project management and to-do lists, and I've been following a lot of Cal Newport's writings with respect to productivity and time management. My big work resolution for 2016 is a ban on web surfing/reading at work, with the exception of specifically scheduled times. This is usually the cause of any productivity derailment for me. I've been severely limiting web-time for the last month or so, and I think it's really helped. I'm going hard core starting Monday!

And, while I'm better than I was, I still need to take better care of myself. This year, I am going to find a way to stretch and exercise on a regular basis again, and get back to better eating habits. I am going to plan more date nights for Chris and me - we need them!

I also want to be better about posting more regularly here. I love going back and seeing updates about Elmer and Arthur, and this is the best place I have for keeping track of their progress. So look for more regular posts about what's going on.

Happy New Year!

October 2015

2015-11-22T15:15:00.001-07:00

It's been a busy few months, but I thought I'd share a few of the highlights in October before we hit all the holidays coming up.

On October 10, we went up to Flagstaff for my 20th high school reunion! I can't believe it's been that long, but the sheer amount of children at the family picnic makes it clear that plenty of time has passed. We just went up for the day, and we all had a good time visiting with old friends and playing at the park.

The next weekend, we went to the Arizona State Fair with Grampa and enjoyed some rides, looked at the animals, and ate fair food!

Elmer was big enough to ride on the sky ride with us, while Arthur and Grampa walked below.

We went on our last camping trip of the year with our friends Pat and Pam. We camped at Burro Creek.

And, of course, Elmer and Arthur dressed up for Halloween. Elmer was a black cat, and Arthur was a lion. We went to a Trunk or Treat event at our church, and then had fun handing out candy at home.

It was a fun month!

Cabin trip - 2015

2015-11-22T14:15:00.001-07:00

We were very excited for our annual visit to Earl Park Lake this year. We rented the same cabin we've been in for the past 2 years, and, now that the boys are older, we decided to stay for 4 nights.

They loved it! Arthur was big enough to go up and down the ladder by himself, and they both enjoyed sleeping in the little twin beds in the loft. We spent the first week of September there, and had a beautiful time! We were essentially the only people renting for the first part of the week, so we pretty much had the lake to ourselves, with the exception of a few day-tripping fishermen.

So we went on some hikes (Elmer called them "expeditions"):

We played at the lake & caught crawfish:

Chris got a little fishing in - sometimes even without his "helpers"!

We dug in the dirt and explored in the woods:

And even survived an exciting hailstorm! Elmer and Arthur loved playing in the hail after it was over:

It's been over two months since we were there, but just this morning Elmer was asking about when we'd go back to "Aspen Cabin" (he thinks all cabins should have a name after staying at the YMCA of the Rockies - so "Aspen Cabin" it is!). We didn't want to come home, and we can't wait to go back again next summer for more adventures!

Here's the full photo set.

Colorado-UT trip

2015-09-16T20:15:00.000-07:00

August 1, we set off on our longest trip yet with the kids: first, The Petersen/Christensen Family Reunion at the YMCA of the Rockies-Snow Mountain Ranch in Colorado, then over to UT for our annual visit with family there. We traveled through 5 states in 9 days!

The first leg of our trip was to meet up with the other Perrys in Grand Junction, CO, a good 9-hour drive from Phoenix (according to Google maps, anyway). I suppose I should mention that poor Elmer has inherited his father's carsickness. He does pretty well, except when we go fast over bumpy or curvy roads. Well, we were doing great until we were on 89A north out of Flagstaff, just turning onto 160 towards Tuba City. I've driven that road so many times, I forget how bumpy and curvy it is - and I was speeding along, thinking about stopping for lunch at Tuba City. I have learned my lesson. There was an incident. But after stopping to clean up, and being grateful for our rooftop car carrier, the rest of the trip was uneventful. The boys did really well on such a long drive, which took us 12 hours. They were happy to see family at the motel.

The next day, Grampa decided to ride with us as we finished our journey to the YMCA. We got there in the early afternoon. We rented a cabin, and it was just great - the boys were thrilled to have a bunk bed in their room, and we had plenty of space to relax and run around. Elmer still talks about the Running Bear cabin.

We had a great time meeting and visiting family at the reunion events and exploring all that the YMCA has to offer - which is a LOT! We visited the library, went on some hikes, played mini-golf, petted goats and sheep (and an extremely friendly cat), saw horses, and generally had a great time!

On Wednesday, we headed off for a 9-hour drive to my grandmother's house in Utah, via Wyoming. We drove through some very lovely parts of Colorado, and some very unlovely parts of Wyoming on an uneventful drive. Again, our little road warriors are just getting used to these long drives. As long as we take breaks now and then and let them run around, they do pretty well.

We stayed with my Grandma until Saturday, just visiting her and other family we could fit in. My uncle Eric came by to visit one afternoon, and we all went over to see my cousin Erica and her family. We had a really enjoyable evening with them, playing outside and having a jam session inside after dinner. Elmer experienced his first bee sting, but he handled it really well. I think it helped that cousin Max was stung as well, so the two of them got special attention from both moms. We also enjoyed playing in Grandma's backyard and visiting the neighbor goats.

Saturday morning, we set off on our marathon drive back home. Last year it only took us 13 hours from Layton to Phoenix (via I-15 through Las Vegas), but having older kids slowed us down - it took 15 hours! But we all endured it, and we still think it's worth it to sleep in our own beds and wake up the next morning at home. For the first time, both boys fell asleep in the van and we were able to transport them directly to their beds as soon as we got home, then unload and settle in on our own.

All in all, it was a great vacation. We drove through Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, and Nevada. Saw lots of family. Discovered a quirky hot dog stand near Wikieup to remember for next year's trip. And best of all, Elmer decided he was potty trained and has been using the toilet like a big boy ever since!

Here's an album of all the pictures of the trip.

Arthur's 20 months!

2015-09-06T14:57:00.000-07:00

Or, he will be in a few days. Since I haven't done an Arthur post since his first birthday, a couple of days won't matter.

From March - such a stinker!

Arthur's grown so much since January, it's hard to know where to begin. I'll start with his 18-month stats:

Height: 34 inches
Weight: 24 lbs 2 oz

(Here's Elmer's 18 month stats for comparison).

One of the biggest changes is Arthur's starting to talk! His first words were "again" and "go", but now he's added quite a few more to his repertoire:

"yith" for yes - the most important word!
"Amen"
"Mama" - usually means me, but sometimes means Father...or just saying "mamamama"
"Ebuh" - means Elmer
"Abah" - Father
Baba - his pacifier (we call it a boo-bo)
Ball - he loves to point to balls!
Hi

He also has approximations for Gramma and Grampa, and he tries to repeat words when we ask him to say something. He usually refuses to perform on command though, so if we're trying to demonstrate his linguistic prowess to a friend, they will be disappointed.

It's really nice to be able to communicate better with him - in addition to speaking, he'll shake his head no, and sign for please, so we can usually get a reliable answer to yes or no questions. That helps a lot!

Don't you dare interfere with this mess!

Arthur now has a mouthful of teeth, but seems to have a couple of molars coming in right now. He's been very drooly and wants to be chewing on his finger or his pacifier at all times. He's a very good eater, as long we let him feed himself and not try to help in any way. He loves to eat Father's pickled onions (so does Elmer!), roasted broccoli, hot dogs, pancakes, toast, cheerios, oatmeal, peanut butter sandwiches, and just about any meat - especially steak! He also has a bit of a taste for spicy sauces, and often wants a little drop of whatever hot sauce is on the table to try. So far, his tolerance for hot spices is greater than Elmer's.

Arthur's very independent and loves to play by himself - as long as someone's nearby to watch if he decides he wants attention. He likes to stack things, pay with his Legos or blocks, or his ball tower. He'll go over to the toy box, dump out a bunch of toys, and just sit there sorting through them for a while.

Trying to figure out this game...

He still loves to play with his brother, though, and wants to do whatever Elmer is doing, or have whatever Elmer has - which means there are often some shrieks from Elmer when Arthur grabs a toy away from him. We definitely have to break up sibling fights on a regular basis - but they are learning, oh so slowly, how to share. He loves to read, but has his own opinions about what books he wants to read, which may not match with what Elmer wants. So we're learning about taking turns as well.

I find I don't take as many day-to-day pictures of Arthur as I did with Elmer. If the boys see me get my phone out, they immediately stop what they're doing and want me to show them pictures or videos. It makes it difficult for me to capture a moment, unless I manage to sneak it out without them noticing.

Selfie with Mama - sometimes the only way I can get a picture!

Arthur's still our little cuddle bug, especially when he first wakes up in the morning or from a nap. I usually cuddle with both boys and a book first thing in the morning, and Chris gets some Arthur cuddles after the afternoon nap. Arthur's definitely a sweetie - I think we'll keep him.

Camping trips 2 and 3

2015-08-26T20:36:00.000-07:00

We went on our second camping trip this summer at the end of June, to Aspen Campground near Woods Canyon Lake. This time, we went for 2 nights, and we were joined by our friends Pat and Pam. We also stayed for two nights, which was good because I think the first night is always just a little rough.

Woods Canyon Lake

Reading with Pam and Pat!

We went for a little hike at Woods Canyon Lake, played horseshoes, read books, and enjoyed the company of our friends! It's especially nice to have extra distraction for the boys as well - they love all the attention.

The boys slept in their own tent next to ours both nights. Elmer slept like a champ - he loves his tent and his sleeping bag. While it took him a long time for fall asleep because he wanted to know what was going on outside the tent, he slept all night until the morning. Arthur went to sleep pretty well, especially when Chris got out the guitar and sang some bedtime songs, but he woke up both nights pretty early. This time, I brought him into our tent with us. The first night, I laid him down on the bed, turned around to zip up the tent, and he was already dead asleep when I climbed into bed! So then we sort of got a little more sleep - he hogs the bed and is quite the wiggler in his sleep.

Arthur taking a break from my backpack

Elmer and Chris

It was a really great trip, with beautiful weather and great company. Best of all, we reignited Pat and Pam's love for camping, so we can look forward to more camping trips with them in the future!

Pat is the horseshoe champion

Chris's adoring fans

In July, on a whim, we went to Houston Mesa Campground, which is literally just 2 miles from downtown Payson. There had been an article in the newspaper the week before we had planned to go camping talking about all the things to do along Houston Mesa Road, so we thought we'd give it a try. At the last minute, our friends Suzy and Chris decided to join us, so we had company again on this trip!

Our campsite

East Verde River at the Water Wheel

Our first night was spoiled by a very large group of campers setting up camp starting at 10 PM and not finishing up until 2 AM - the cars just kept coming! And again, Arthur woke up about 3, but I just brought him in with us again and we all got a little more sleep.

The Water Wheel!

About to make a poor choice

The next day we had a great time - we went for a drive down the road, which allowed Arthur to take a much needed nap, and we enjoyed exploring. We went for a little hike along the East Verde River, where we unwisely scrambled down some boulders with the boys on our backs and had to scout out an easier climb back up. Elmer did a little hiking out of the backpack and scrambled up a hillside like a trooper. An old water wheel was one of Elmer's favorite sights!

East Verde River at Second Crossing

Arthur tossing in some pebbles

Chris & Suzy with the boys

That evening, we got a spectacular rainstorm right before dinner. We all huddled under our canopy, enjoying the rain for a while as the rain got heavier and heavier. Finally, though, we realized we couldn't cook dinner on the fire or the cookstove in that downpour, so we all loaded into the van and went into Payson for dinner. The town was just flooded - water was calf-deep in the parking lot! But the rain stopped before we finished eating, and after dinner we headed back to our campground. Suzy and Chris's tent was a little wet, so they decided to pack up and just drive home. Our tents, however, were dry, so we stayed. I'm so glad we did - the boys were exhausted from such an exciting day and went right off to sleep. The air was cool and fresh from the rain, and the campground was much less crowded from all the people leaving due to the storm. Chris and I sat by the fire and talked, and then had a quiet night. For the first time, Arthur didn't wake up at all! We all slept until sunrise, then packed up our very wet gear and went into Payson for breakfast at the Beeline Cafe. When we got home, we had to unpack all the tarps and tents, spray off all the mud, and lay them out to dry. Even with all that, though, we didn't mind the rainstorm - it was certainly an adventure!

Elmer liked standing in the river.

Arthur jumping!

Since August and September have other trips (posts coming soon), we'll probably squeeze in one last camping trip for the year in October. We love these trips!

Love all my boys so much!

Farewell to the crib

2015-08-23T15:01:00.000-07:00

Back in the summer of 2011, we took our annual trip to Utah to visit my grandparents. We had borrowed the Perry Van (long before we even thought of owning our own van) because my parents were coming with us for our visit. I was about 4 months pregnant with Elmer, and we took great pleasure in being able to surprise my grandparents with the news in person. It was a nice visit, with lots of talking about babies, family stories and memories.

Then my mom said that she thought the crib I'd had as a baby might still be in my grandparents's shed. So we all trooped out there to see and, sure enough, there was the crib - a little dusty and cobwebby, but it seemed to be mostly intact. This was quite a surprise for me - my family moved around so much when I was young that I have very little of anything I owned before I went to high school. It never would have occurred to me that my grandparents would have kept my crib for 30 plus years! We loaded it up in the van to carry it home. Grandma was happy to clear one more thing out of that shed.

I was just barely starting to show!

Once we were ready to start setting up Elmer's room, Chris pulled out the crib and inspected it. Some of the hardware was missing and one of the wheels was broken. He put all the pieces in the baby's room and got to work - drilling, gluing, patching, pegging. It was a little creaky and scratched up, but there it was, ready to be used by a new generation. And then he realized that it was too wide to fit through the door! Good thing he'd put it together inside the baby's room!

First nap in the crib!

Nap buddies!

When we were expecting Arthur, we talked about getting a new crib - but decided to just keep the old one and move it into the closet when we set up the bunk bed. So the crib was Arthur's too - all cozy in the closet.

Arthur - I'd forgotten he used to sleep like that!

In June, we moved Arthur to the bottom bunk of the bed because he was just climbing out of the crib anyway. We kept it set up in case he had any trouble adjusting to sleeping in a bed, but he was just fine - as long as he had the toddler rail. So yesterday, we finally took out the crib. We had to saw through the joints in order to take it apart to get it out of the room, which pretty much finished it off. It wasn't a fancy or a high quality crib, but it was mine - and I'm happy it served through 2 generations.

Elmer saying goodbye

Short updates

2015-06-05T20:21:00.001-07:00

Both the boys are taking swim classes over these two weeks. Arthur's in an assisted swim class, where he's joined by either Chris or Grampa. Elmer is taking his first independent class, where he's learning to float, kick his legs, and some water safety. They seem to be enjoying their classes!

We're so lucky to have Grammie and Grampa Perry help out for the swim classes - I don't know what we'd do without them!

Arthur's getting so good at communicating with us. He shakes his head no and usually means no, he signs "more", "please" and "thank you" and is starting to learn "up." He's also starting to say some words: his first word was "again" (from "How Do Dinosaurs Count to Ten", one of his favorite books). He also says "go", especially if we say "Ready, set..." first. (That's really fun for me driving, when Elmer's telling me to "Put both hands on the steering wheel, Mama." and Arthur saying "go!" - I guess I'd better get used to all my backseat drivers!) Arthur tries to repeat what we say all time, and will sit down with a book by himself, point at the pictures, and babble, so I know he'll be talking in no time.

Elmer's becoming more imaginative. He'll announce at breakfast that he's a backhoe loader and that his spoon is his scoop. Whatever, as long as he eats! He loves to pretend, and he is enthralled when we pretend with him. We have some hand puppets that Chris will use to liven up a meal time, and Elmer is just entranced talking to Henrietta Pussycat and Moo-Cow. It's always interesting to see what he'll come up with next!

He also loves to help me bake - we usually make a loaf of banana bread each week for breakfast, so he's getting pretty good at helping with that.

There's never a dull moment around here!

Camping practice: Rock Crossing Campgroung

2015-06-05T20:01:00.000-07:00

Last summer we started planning little one-night camping trips to help motivate us to go out camping with the boys. We're calling it camping practice because, while we are both experienced campers, throwing two toddlers in the mix is a completely different experience. We went twice last summer and learned a lot and started adding to our camping gear. Last weekend, we went on our first practice run for this year to Rock Crossing Campground, near Pine.

This was our first time putting up our new canopy and a new (to us, anyway) tent, so that was a good experience. The campground was beautiful, not too crowded, and we had just lovely weather. After setting up camp, we ate lunch and relaxed around the campsite for a bit.

Then we wandered around the campground looking for squirrels. They were too smart to stick around for us, but we did see some interesting beetles and ants. Arthur just loved watching all the bugs - he'd squat down and point at them and scoot around to see where they were going.

Both boys liked climbing on trees.

And, of course, everyone had fun putting pine cones in the fire.

Arthur had a bit of a rough time - he fell down a few times and scraped his face up. Combined with the dirt, he looked quite disreputable.

We tried having the boys sleep in their own tent. Elmer liked it just fine, but Arthur got scared, so we ended up moving in with them about 2 in the morning. Needless to say, we were all a little tired next morning.

There were tons of these little caterpillars around the campsite - Elmer really enjoyed having this one crawl around on his sleeve.

After packing up camp, we drove down to see Blue Ridge Reservoir. Arthur passed out in the car immediately, but Elmer was game to get out and look at the water for a few minutes before heading home.

We were welcomed home home to 102 degree weather. Hello, June! Hello Summer! We'll definitely be looking forward to more camping later this month as an escape from the heat!

California trip

2015-06-05T19:39:00.000-07:00

So way back at the beginning of April, we all went to California for a wedding. It was a big family trip, with all the Perrys and Graves going. It was our first good road trip with Arthur for over a year, so it was a good trial run for some longer trips coming up this summer. Both the boys were great in the car, and you can see that we've turned Arthur facing forward now - such a big boy!

We were staying in Oceanside, but the first event was the rehearsal dinner at a winery about 40 miles northeast from our hotel. It was a lovely chance to visit with lots of family, with good food in a beautiful location.

The next day was the wedding itself, but we had all morning to explore, so we went to the beach, of course! Several of us, including Elmer and Arthur, rolled up our pant legs to splash in the surf.

After lunch, we took some quick naps and then got all dressed up for the wedding.

It was a lovely ceremony, though the boys were too tired to stay for long at the reception, so we headed back to our hotel early. Elmer loved our hotel room - we'd splurged for the presidential suite, so we had 2 rooms: Elmer slept on a hide-a-bed with Arthur in his pack-n-play in the main room, while Chris and I had our own bed with a jacuzzi bath in the master room. Totally worth it! Elmer still talks about wanting to go to the hotel with the hot tub.

Anyway, the next day was a family beach day at Laguna Beach, organized by our cousin Gail (mother of the bride). This was my first real full day at the beach! We all had a great time digging in the sand, enjoying the sun and watching the waves! Chris even went swimming, but the boys and I contented ourselves with getting our feet wet.

Elmer didn't like the way his clothes felt when they were wet, so he was sitting with his arms held out so they would dry.

And the next day we headed home. We all had a great time, and it was a fun beginning to our summer plans!

Easter 2015

2015-04-06T14:59:00.000-07:00

This year, I decided to take a long weekend for Easter. I took both Friday and Monday off, and I think this was a great plan! We've all had a nice time together, enjoying the spring weather and the holiday.

This was the first year we colored Easter eggs. On Saturday, Grammie and Grampa Perry came over and helped.

And then we had a little egg hunt in the back yard:

Later that afternoon, we went to the park to enjoy the playground and fly our kite:

On Easter Sunday, we went to church and enjoyed celebrating Easter with our St. Mark's family. Elmer and Arthur both wore nice Easter suits (although Arthur was a little grumpy about having his picture taken just then).

Elmer liked watching Chris play the organ for the postlude:

There was an egg hunt for the kids after the service, both boys had a fun time finding eggs with the other kids. Arthur knew just what to do:

After church, and naps, we went over to Aunt Jennifer and Uncle Rob's for dinner with all the Perrys. The food was all great, and the boys had a lovely time playing with their cousins. We didn't get home and get the boys in bed until almost 8, so they were pretty tired. We're all enjoying a quiet day at home today. I'll work 2 days this week, and then we're off to California for a wedding and another long weekend for me!

Elmer's Three Years Old!

2015-01-31T14:31:00.001-07:00

Last week, we celebrated Elmer's third birthday! He's growing so fast!

I was home sick on his birthday, so we didn't do much. Father made his special macaroni and cheese, one of Elmer's favorite meals, and we had some chocolate cupcakes.

But I took the day off that Friday and, along with Grammie and Grampa Perry and Gramma Maughan, we went to the Phoenix Zoo. We looked at some of our favorite animals. Elmer especially enjoys going to Harmony Farm and playing on the tractor, and then we rode on the carousel. It was Arthur's first time to ride on the carousel as well, so that was extra fun.

I feel like Elmer's made some major leaps in development over the last month. We gave up the pacifier for good on his birthday. Elmer only was allowed to have it when he was in his room for the past several months, and we talked about how when he turned 3, we were going to put the pacifier away. After his nap on his birthday, we carefully put it in a box and put it on a high shelf. He missed it that first night, but has been just fine without it ever since!

It's so fun to see how Elmer's becoming more independent. He loves to help around the house, and is getting pretty good at following some instructions: he'll throw things away in the trash, he loves to help when we cook and tries so hard not to spill when he stirs, he will go get his shoes and Arthur's shoes when we're getting ready to go outside. He is very assertive and says "Elmer do it" when he doesn't want our help, and I'm trying to let him try, even if it's something he still has a hard time doing on his own.

I think we're finally starting to make some headway on using proper pronouns. Elmer's starting to use "I" and "me" a little more often, and he's got "Arthur, that's MINE" down just fine. He likes to pretend that we're all characters in his books and this morning he told me that I was Piglet and he was Rabbit, and he used the correct pronouns - he said "You are Piglet" and "I am Rabbit", and I think that's the first time I've heard him say that.

I love that Elmer's starting to do more imaginative play - it's so fun to pretend to be fire trucks or cats, and he'll tell a pretty good story with a few prompts to keep going.

Both the boys love being outside, so there's rarely a day that we don't go out for a ride in the wagon, playing in the sandbox, climbing the tree or swinging on the swing. Elmer got a tricycle for Christmas, which he enjoys, but he's still learning how to work the pedals.

We're still working on potty training - he's very good about using the toilet to pee, but he still just doesn't understand when it's time to go poo. We'll get it soon, though, I think.

Elmer hasn't taken a morning nap for most of this past year, though we still have an hour of quiet time in his room in the morning. He still usually needs an afternoon nap, but he often doesn't sleep any more - he'll read in his room. I'd say he probably only naps about half the time these days. But even when he doesn't sleep, the quiet time definitely helps, and he's usually in a pretty good mood until bedtime. He's gotten much better at staying in his room at night, but often gets up very early (4:30 or 5). We're working on waiting in his room until 6.

There are just so many fun things that Elmer does and says, I think I'm going to have to post more often with anecdotes as they happen - with both the boys. But I love our little boy - who's starting not to be so little any more!

Arthur's one year old!

2015-01-15T20:26:00.002-07:00

Well, as of a week ago today!

Since all of us have been battling some stage of a cold for the last month, we weren't in the mood for much celebrating. But I made some Maple Carrot Cupcakes, we sang Happy Birthday, and Gramma Maughan and Aunt Lorraine came over for dinner and to help with bedtime after Chris went to work.

Arthur's becoming quite the confident toddler now, it's starting to get difficult to still call him my little baby. He can climb into the wagon all by himself, and he just loves to poke around the house or the yard and check everything out.

One of his favorite things to do is just carry a book around the house, and then he'll sit down and look at it by himself, sometimes "reading" it out loud to us. It's funny, though, because it's rare that he'll let us read an entire book to him without squirming out of our lap. He likes to play with his toys, and will go over to the toy box and just dump the whole thing over so he can pick through everything.

Elmer is still his favorite person in the world, and Arthur pretty much wants to be doing whatever Elmer is doing. One thing they both just love is going for a walk in the wagon. Arthur is never ready to get out, no matter how long of a walk it is.

Most of the time they play pretty well together, but there are inevitable conflicts. We try to encourage Elmer to see how much Arthur adores him and to be patient, but an almost-3-year-old has his limitations.

I just love this picture of Arthur, because you can really see his personality coming through. He's a happy little guy, but he is independent, stubborn, and strong-willed. I don't think we'll ever need to worry about Elmer pushing him around too much.

Both boys had their annual check up today, so here are Arthur's latest stats:
Height: 31.3 inches (Elmer was 31.5)
Weight: 21 lbs 10 oz (Elmer was 21 lbs even)
Over the past month, 3 more teeth have come through, and I think there are more on the way, so we are in a teething surge, but he enjoys being able to gnaw on more complicated foods. Now he likes to be given bigger pieces of food, like half a banana, so he can hold it and try to take bites. It's fun to see him manage it. We're working with him on learning to sign for "more", and I think he's starting to get it. But he makes it very clear when he wants something, so we'd better start working on "please" pretty soon!

Believe it or not, I didn't take any pictures on Christmas, so I'll definitely need to make more of an effort to take more pictures! I feel like I dropped the ball a bit this past month, but again, I think that everyone being sick over a busy holiday is a good enough excuse. But even if I didn't record every minute, we had a great Christmas and loved watching both boys enjoy the holiday. We're so happy to have our sweet little family!

Looking back at 2014

2015-01-05T20:59:00.001-07:00

I just realized that I skipped my annual retrospective last year! I guess I wasn't in the mood, since I started my maternity leave for Arthur right after the New Year, and I certainly wasn't interested in looking back. But here we are, a year later, no new babies or pregnancies to deal with, so it's time to get back in the groove.

2014

It's been a great year, but definitely challenging. I returned from maternity leave right at the beginning of April. Our University Librarian had announced her retirement while I was on leave, and she left at the end of June. We didn't hear anything about the search for her replacement for a long time, so the general mood of people at the library was pretty dark. No one likes being on board a plane without a pilot. Fortunately, the successful candidate was announced at the end of October, and I think we're all trying to temper our excitement until he actually joins us in February.

I decided not to travel this year for work, but I did attend the AzLA/MPLA Joint Conference in November, which was a lot of fun. I really enjoy and value both of these professional associations, so it was great to have them combined in one conference!

As for accomplishments this year...you know, there just wasn't anything big, but there were lots of small steps forward. I feel like my position has become more cohesive and it really feels like I have more direction than I did in the past. I had more one-on-one discussions about open access, publishing issues, and copyright with faculty and students. I was on the search committee for a new Digital Projects Librarian, who started today! I'm on a new workgroup that focuses on data management and repository services, and I'm excited about the directions we may be taking over this coming year. And, with the help of some of my seriously awesome colleagues, my ASU Scholarship Showcase collection has almost 200 scholarly articles published by the ASU community!

I actually had my most successful Open Access Week programming yet, with a series of interviews of ASU faculty on the Library Channel. These were tweeted and retweeted throughout the week, and I think they had the most impact of anything I've done to promote Open Access Week so far.

At home

I don't think I made any resolutions this year, so I can't really use that as a measure. But I feel like I've come a long way since last January. After all, I have a little boy who will turn 1 on Thursday, and another one that will turn 3 in a couple of weeks! I've learned how to juggle both of them (well, we're always learning), and I feel like both Chris and I are getting better at balancing our needs, their needs, and work. I really feel like I'm emerging from a fog - we're getting more sleep, I'm not exhausted all the time, and life is looking pretty good.

And now: 2015

One of the biggest unknowns is how much Dr. O'Donnell will change about the libraries when he gets here in February. I'm so excited to have some new leadership and I'm working really hard to keep that in check. I'm sure that he will certainly make decisions that I don't agree with. But I'm ready to support whatever priorities he sets - just tell me which direction to go - I'm waiting on the bus!

But I'm also excited to continue some of the work I've started that's been building up steam. I'm working more closely with our Graduate and Professional Student Association about open access and copyright issues. Interest in the digital repository is growing, and I'm hoping to really get my content harvesting project out of beta and into my main workflow. I think our new workgroup is going to be doing some exciting things. I'll probably go to Wyoming for this year's MPLA conference, since I'm on the MPLA Executive for my second stint as Leadership Institute Co-chair. So I'm really optimistic about the opportunities this new year will bring!

Resolutions

I'm working hard on increasing my productivity and workflow at work. I've been working a slightly compressed schedule to allow me to get home to help with the kids for dinner, and I want to optimize what I'm doing when I'm at work. I'm experimenting with Trello as a to-do list/project manager, and also starting a work diary to be more mindful about how I'm spending my time (my friend Lindsay's last ACRLog post inspired me).

Also, I'm going to learn how to take better care of myself. For the first time in 4 years, I'm not pregnant, breastfeeding, or taking care of tiny infants, and there are no plans for any of those things in the future! I've lost touch with what my body needs, now that it belongs just to me again, and I'm getting older so my old habits don't necessarily match what I need now. I need to listen to it again to learn how much I really need to eat, what to eat to feel good, what exercises I can do given my schedule, and build up some core strength again so I can get rid of some of this back pain I've been having. And, I'm giving myself permission to do some things for me again, such as go to a work happy hour, or go out shopping with a friend, and plan dates with my husband. Chris has encouraged me to go out now and then, but I haven't allowed myself to do it. So now I'm going to. It's okay to relax and enjoy the catnip now and then!

Also, I haven't posted a cat picture in AGES!

Arthur's 11 months old!

2014-12-10T21:03:00.000-07:00

The biggest news is that our boy is walking! It's just a few steps right now, but he's getting braver and more confident every day! He's walked from the couch to the kitchen table, between chairs, and will eagerly walk towards Mama, Father, or Elmer if we're within a few feet. It's pretty exciting! He'll be running down the hall in no time!

Otherwise, Arthur is just growing into a little boy. He's been sleeping pretty well over the past month, here's hoping I don't jinx it by talking about it. Honestly, he's a good sleeper - he's always been good about going to sleep on his own when we lay him down. At night, we all cuddle and read stories, then turn off the light and sing some songs. Elmer lies in bed and I snuggle with Arthur while we're singing. And then I just lay Arthur in the crib, kiss Elmer goodnight, and out I go. Arthur usually just rolls onto his side and goes to sleep, unless Elmer gets out of bed to wake him up to play. Sometimes I have to remind Elmer that bedtime means stay in bed.

Another landmark is that we stopped nursing altogether over Thanksgiving weekend. By that point, Arthur had only been interested in nursing very briefly right when he got up in the morning and right before bed. But that was it, so I decided it wasn't worth it and just stopped. He didn't even seem to notice - now we just snuggle a bit instead. He's a little cuddlebug - he likes to curl right up and put his cheek on your chest. It's very sweet. Sometimes when we're all sitting and playing on the floor, he crawls right in my lap and wants to just sit for a minute resting his head against my chest. I just love it. He still likes his bottle though, and has a couple bottles of milk or formula a day.

It's also fun to see Arthur figuring out the world. He can understand a lot of what we say to him - he's pretty good at responding when we say "No" to things, and he definitely looks to see if we're watching when he goes for something he knows he's not supposed to grab, like the cat food dish. He love to sit and read, play with toys, and chase the cats. He likes to turn off the lights, and loves to go check out the bath when I start the water running. Bath time is the best - he gets so excited he doesn't like to wait for me to get him undressed.

Arthur still only has two teeth, but it's amazing what he can eat! He just wants to eat whatever we're eating and seems to get really picky if I try to give him something different - if he sees I'm eating chicken and offering him some cereal, he will NOT eat that cereal. Chicken is the only thing that will do.

The weather is still nice, so both boys love to play outside. Arthur gets pretty adventurous and will open the back door if it's not latched and just go on out. They love to play in the sandbox, on the swing and the dome, and they just love the wagon. Arthur wants to do whatever Elmer's doing, and Elmer's usually a good sport about it:

especially when he gets to help:

We've put up all the Christmas decorations, and both boys just love the Christmas tree - they'll just hang out by it and look at the lights and ornaments. I've put unbreakable ornaments within reach, so they can touch them (though I caution them to be careful). This is a fun year, because Elmer is old enough to get excited about Christmas and of course it's Arthur's first. It's fun to create our own family traditions.

I can't believe that he'll be 1 year old so soon!

The rest of November

2014-12-01T21:25:00.000-07:00

Well, November is over, so I'm wrapping up my month of thanks. Since I didn't post for over a week, I'm not sure I can remember specific things for each day. But here are some things I was thankful for:

a rare day that both Chris and I have the entire day off!
good friends and football parties
a silly baby who makes me laugh every day with his antics

cooking breakfast for my family and planning for a holiday
Thanksgiving day with our families, and watching Elmer and Arthur play with their cousins
so thankful that both of us and our children have been so healthy - we're truly blessed in this as so many of our friends, family, and colleagues have been sick this season
playing guitar with a quartet!
putting up all my Christmas decorations and seeing both Elmer and Arthur's delight in the tree

And finally, wrapping up the month with a beautiful Taize service at St. Mark's. What a great way to send out a month of gratitude for the blessings that we have and to ring in the Christmas season!